Sneak peek at MWMC’s new Web site January 5, 2010

Maybe it was the sub-zero temperatures or the back-to-work blues, but yesterday I just couldn’t summon much enthusiasm for my first Monday back in the office. Until Shannon Novotne sent me an email with a great link.

If you’ve been with MWMC a while, you may remember when the current Web site was a vast improvement over the previous one which was less visual and energetic. But, the organization’s Web site needed to change so we can keep up with changes in how members expect to get their information.

As the new board started planning for the year, a new Web site was one of our primary goals. The need was more than the desire to change the design of the site, it stemmed from the need to have a more useful content management system and incorporate other features to help manage event registrations.

So, here’s a sneak peek at the new Web site, which is being created as we speak. The members will be the stars of the site and we’re planning on uploading videos and some of the great articles from the Member to Member newsletter.

MWMC Women@Work Workshop :: November 17 October 29, 2009

Content is King: From Web sites to social media, keeping your online content in control

Tuesday, November 17
1:00 to 4:00 p.m.
St. Catherine University
President’s Dining Room (#372) in the Coeur de Catherine building on the St. Paul Campus
 
Content strategy – the emerging discipline focused on helping organizations effectively create, maintain, and manage content – is suddenly all the rage. But, why now and what’s the web got to do with it? Attend the Women@Work Workshop to learn why content strategy is necessary; how to deliver useful, usable content online, where and when your customers need it most; what you can do to get (and keep) your online content in control.

Register Now
 
Content strategy – the emerging discipline focused on helping organizations effectively create, maintain, and manage content – is suddenly all the rage. But, why now and what’s the web got to do with it? Attend the Women@Work Workshop to learn why content strategy is necessary; how to deliver useful, usable content online, where and when your customers need it most; what you can do to get (and keep) your online content in control.  You’ll also get an up-close look at a couple of case studies that demonstrate how local companies are successfully integrating social media into their marketing mix.  

About Our Speakers:

Melissa Rach

Melissa Rach, Director of Content Strategy, Brain Traffic
Melissa is director of content strategy at Brain Traffic, an agency focused on helping clients tackle messy content problems. Using skills in messaging, information architecture, writing, and communication planning; Melissa has consulted for a wide variety of clients including General Mills, Best Buy, Target, United Health Group, Wolters Kluwer, and Wells Fargo. Melissa worked on her first online project in 1993. Since then, she has become a respected authority on how organizations incorporate interactive content into their overall communications strategy. Her methodologies have been taught at universities nationwide and recognized in books for nearly a decade, from Webmastering for Dummies (2000) to Content Strategy for the Web (2009).

Eva Keiser

Eva Keiser, APR, Senior Vice President, Risdall McKinney Public Relations
Eva has a proven track record of success and expertise in marketing communications and media relations. Working in an integrated agency, Eva is on the front lines bringing elements together – online and offline – to create momentum for a brand and drive Web site traffic. With a deep understanding of the media and storytelling, Eva has the uncommon ability to uncover stories within an organization that resonate with the media, and move readers to action. Over her career, Eva gained a wealth of experience through working on political campaigns, with grassroots organizations, and at various print and broadcast media outlets. Eva is an adjunct professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities.

Parking:
Free parking permits will be sent via email to all attendees who pre-register before 5 PM on November 15.  Permits will NOT be provided onsite, so you must pre-register to receive a parking permit. Permits are valid in the O’Shaughnessy/Event Parking lot, which can be accessed from Gate 4, and the Visitor Parking lot, which can be accessed from Gate 3.

NOTE: If you plan to register at the door, MWMC can only accept payment via cash or check; credit cards will not be accepted at the door.

Many thanks, Wendy Amundson October 29, 2009

Ages ago a book called, “Everything I Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten” became a media sensation. My take on it is that high school was actually the real proving ground. Whether it was the student newspaper or yearbook, it became pretty clear that basically the same small cadre of people show up and do the work month after month. Maybe they get the credit and maybe not, but they show up.

One person in MWMC who continually “shows up” is Wendy Amundson, one of our past presidents. Without anyone asking, Wendy stepped in and has been posting  job opportunity content for the MWMC LinkedIn site for several years. Since MWMC decided two years ago to step away from the Job Mart program it founded, we’ve come to rely on Wendy’s updates to let members know about current job opportunities. Others post opportunities occasionally, but Wendy really leads this area just because she wants to and thinks it’s important.

From all of MWMC, I want to thank Wendy for helping to make our LinkedIn site active and engaging. It wouldn’t be the same without her.

Measuring serendipity August 7, 2009

While I love the commercials for Bing with the random links by word that the characters spout, there is an element of serendipity to the web that is equal parts frustrating and amazing.

I’m a huge fan of Katie Delahaye Paine and her blog. She posts previews of books on PR measurement that are going to press and is  the guru for PR measurement. In my quest to see if she’s spoke in town lately (wouldn’t she be great for MWMC to have at a Learning Lunch!), I came across a series of podcasts on social media for communications practioners.

The “On the Record Online” podcasts cover measurement, government affairs, online reputation, crisis communications–you name it. If you’re interested in hearing directly from some of the leaders in the industry, you can subscribe via RSS and download them to your iPod.

Member’s work wins regional book award June 23, 2009

Wanted to pass along another accolade received by an MWMC member. Last month Patricia (Patty) Miller’s work was recognized with a regional award. Patty, the official Top Cat of Laughing Cat Communications, was the editor of cookbook commissioned for the Minnesota Sesquicentennial.  On May 13, it won a Midwest Book Award for the cookbook category.  The award is given by the Midwest Independent Publishers Association.  The cookbook is available at Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble, among other bookstores.  And, a portion of the proceeds go towards renovation of the state capitol, a very worthy effort.

Congratulations, Patty!

 

If you have other accomplishments or career milestones you’d like to pass along, please send them to me at nhayes@webershandwick.com

Meghan Wilker named to “Women to Watch” list May 26, 2009

Congratulations to Meghan Wilker, managing director at ClockWork Active Media Systems, MWMC member and speaker at last week’s Women@Work workshop and now an acknowledged Woman to Watch. Last week the Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal named Meghan to it’s list of “leaders to keep an eye on for continued success.” The article is available here.

Women and Leadership April 21, 2009

When I was younger there were a few magazines out there specifically focused on women and our professional lives–”Working Woman” and “Working Mother” being the biggest names. There were even some small, regional publications looking at how women trained and worked in what had been a man’s world.

It makes me a little sad that those publications aren’t on my newstand anymore, but articles on work and career are embedded in nearly every women’s magazine I pick up. Looking through “More” this last week, I read a great one-on-one with Fortune editor-at-large Patricia Sellers who chairs a summit for the top women leaders in corporate America.

I particularly loved her quote about women’s approach to power:

Women think differently about power. They’re reinventing it; they want to spread it around and be collaborative.

It’s so true to me and it reminded me of insights from Martha Carlson from a Learning Lunch this past year. In my 20 years in the working world, the role models for professional women have become much more human, creative and have evolved a style of leadership that many of us can relate to and aspire to.

Oprah Tweets! April 17, 2009

Who know two words would convey such tremendous influence in our culture and in the communications world? But then again, how many of us can jump into the social media sphere and have over 140,000 “followers” in an instant?

Oprah’s hegemony with the “mom” crowd means instant validation for Twitter and social media for mainstream consumers.